5 things you probably didn’t know about Prince George

As Prince George passes the first major numerical milestone in his life, Royal Central takes a look at some of the royal and constitutional duties and customs the young prince faces in the future!

Prince George has no official place in the Order of Precedence

Yes, since there is no defined place for a great-grandchild of the Sovereign in the Order of Precedence, Prince George is assumed to take the place as a son of a royal Duke – coming after George, Earl of St Andrews (eldest son of the Duke of Kent).

The Order of Precedence traditionally regulates who arrives in what order at royal events. Contrary to rumour, the Duchess of Cambridge will never have to curtsey to her son unless he accedes to the throne whilst she is still alive (i.e. if she became Queen Mother), though even then she probably wouldn’t be made to do so.

As he becomes older, he will likely be afforded a proper place in the Order of Precedence – either through Her Majesty creating a place, or more likely through Prince George becoming a grandson of the Sovereign when Prince Charles accedes as King.

Duke of Cornwall and Prince of Wales

Providing Prince William and Prince George are issued the title of Prince of Wales, and that his father accedes to the throne as expected – Prince George will be the 25th Duke of Cornwall and 25th Prince of Wales (since the title was issued to the heir to the throne). The title of Duke of Cornwall also comes with a vast portfolio of land, known as the Duchy of Cornwall, which funds the heir to the throne’s activities. Much like the Duke of Cambridge is at the moment, Prince George will have to come to learn about these estates and how they’re managed.

Prince George is also heir to the title of Duke of Cambridge, though providing Prince William accedes to the throne, George will probably never hold this title.

Great-grandchild of the Sovereign

The last time a future King met his reigning great-grandparent was in 1896, when the future George VI met Queen Victoria. 117 years later, Prince George met his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. George has a long way to go before he becomes King yet, with his father and grandfather yet to assume the role, George too could be well into his 40s/50s before he assumes the role.

Prince George’s title was provided for by the 1917 letters patent and it works out that he is the only great-grandchild of the Monarch automatically entitled to the title of Prince and HRH. In 2012, however, The Queen issued a new letters patent to amend this to include all future children of the ‘eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales’ so Prince George’s siblings will also bear the title.

Heraldry

Prince George won’t receive a coat of arms, monogram or personal standard until he turns 18. His personal coat of arms will be an adaptation of the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom, designed by the College of Arms – who deal with heraldry in the United Kingdom.

Heraldry is very important in the Monarchy and Prince George will have many heraldic devices in his lifetime, including the arms of the Duchy of Cornwall, then Coat of Arms of England and of Scotland as well as the various flags and standards of the Commonwealth Realms.

He will also have his own personal standard which would be flown on vehicles. The Monarch and the heir to the throne are typically the only members of the Royal Family who fly their Royal and personal standards above their residence, though.

The Royal Surname

As a titled member of the Royal Family, Prince George holds no legal surname. This goes for all members of the Royal Family who hold the style of HRH, with the exception of Prince Philip whose surname is Mountbatten.

Members of the Royal Family rarely need to use a surname, though when they do they have a variety to choose from. The first and most obvious one is Windsor, the name of the Royal House and has been used many times before by various members of the Royal Family. Mountbatten-Windsor is the surname of untitled descendants of Prince Philip and The Queen, though is often used by all members when a formal surname is needed, such as when marrying.

The most likely and now popular choice of surname for members of the Royal Family is the name of their father’s, or their own, territory. For example, Prince William and Prince Harry both used Wales as a surname in the Armed Forces, with their father as Prince of Wales, while The Duke of York’s daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie use York as their surname. Prince George could well use Cambridge at first as a surname, and later Wales if Prince William is made Prince of Wales.